FERC meeting: Mountain Valley wins, Danly exit and utility probe

Devin Hartman, director of energy and environmental policy at the R Street Institute, a pro-free-markets think tank, said the 2-1 makeup of FERC could help get the transmission rule over the finish line after it’s lingered for more than a year and a half. The proposal from Phillips would require planners to consider a broad set of benefits in planning regional transmission, as well as giving states more involvement in dividing up costs.

“For the Biden administration to hit their emissions reduction targets, you have to go after permitting, interconnection and transmission,” said Hartman. “The regional transmission rule might be the most important box to check in that agenda. There will be a lot of pressure on the FERC Democrats to act on this and to see how much buy-in you can get from Christie on it.”